Over at Facebook, Casey asked whether these SDS to socket adapters would work well with his Dewalt rotary hammer (that new brushless one), for breaking free hand-tightened lug nuts that his compact (low torque) impact wrench couldn’t loosen.

I don’t have any experience with these adapters, which are used an SDS rotary hammer to turn sockets.

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I don’t think that using a rotary hammer would be much help in loosening stuck lug nuts. It just doesn’t seem that there would be enough impact energy transferred via a socket, unless maybe you could somehow bottom out the lugs, but I still don’t see it working. Am I wrong?

Update: Check out comments to see why hammering on lug nuts is potentially a very bad idea.

Casey mentioned seeing reviews by people using their rotary hammers to drive in rebar, and I remember seeing similar mentions or recommendations over the years. They’re also used to drive in grounding rods and other similar shaft-like materials.

I suppose that, with these adapters and appropriate sockets, a rotary hammer could be used for driving in Tapcon wall anchors, or other such fasteners, when in rotary-only mode – in a pinch.

As Steve mentions in the comments, you don’t have any torque control, so you would have to be very careful to not over-torque anchors or fasteners. Tapcons, for example, strip out their self-threaded holes if overtightened.

23 Comments

I bought the adapter’s pictured , the same brushless DeWalt in November offered as a bare tool with the 2 Battery 5AH kit, also ordered the Bosch SDS drill chuck adapter and 18″ long 5/8″ augur bit that drill through the RR ties like they were balsa wood.

Then used it with the socket adapters and a impact socket to drive 3′ long 5/8″ rebar with it earlier this month in railroad ties for a customers shed pad on an incline.

Haven’t tried it on lug nuts yet but I can give it a try on my pickup lug nuts and let ya know. (I’ve got the Dewalt 18v 300 FT/# impact wrench 1/2″ it think its the 59X model that I usually use for breaking them loose and spin on/off and then hand torque them .

So glad, I doubled checked this post before going to test this out, definitely one of those brain fog moments (RE: Natan pointing out the impact is pile driver vs hammering on a cheater bar ) the coffee certainly hadn’t kicked in.

Also have to agree with Natan on the impact wrench being over kill for most vehicle’s lug nuts, I had rusted lug nut on an old Porsche I owned that I bent a 3′ cheater bar on, the Impact wrench got it out along with the stud. Most of the time a Impact driver will work fine.

On a sidenote the Tonsiki socket adapters are what I picked up for driving rebar and rods with the right size impact socket.

Additionally this Rotary Hammer drill has done great as a small area /make shift jack hammer on some 50 year concrete that I tested it out on with a bull point chisel.

Amazon carries Pit Bull 17-Piece Drill Bit & Chisel set perfect for the occasional job otberwise I would stick with a name brand bits.

So I wouldn’t use a rotary hammer for the job because of the impact direction is along the axis. SO you will push impact vibration though the stud and into the wheel hub bearing.

not something I’d recommend for the life of the car. Also I don’t know how those adapters are made but I doubt they will tolerate that amount of torque. Since it’s more of a slider hammer action. If I recall correctly – been a while since I used a rotary hammer.

If I was doing it I’d make sure to use atleast a 1/2 drive device. However what’s the rating on your current impact wrench? Reason I ask is that short of some ton – plus trucks or other commercial vehicles – most cars and other full size trucks don’t need much more than 150 ft lbs. Especially if there are AL wheels involved.

Exactly, it doesn’t make sense to me and could very well damage your hub, lug nuts/bolts or both. And for those inclined to test it, beware that damage may not be immediately apparent, but t may result in the bolts/nuts backing themselves out even after torqueing them correctly.

I’m sure there is some use case where you need to push with impact forces while turning, but I can’t think of it off the top of my head, which leaves me scratching my head on this one.

Ok, so I actually have messed around with these adapters a fair amount, and I can tell you right away that they are NOT useful in any way for driving lug nuts. This is for two reasons:

1. The direction of impact is completely wrong for the application. Impact wrenches, like impact drivers, provide a pulsed impact torque applied to the rotation of the chuck/anvil. In other words, the impacts are rotational. This is very useful in busting lug nuts, as that rotational torque is used to force the nut to turn in the direction it was designed to turn. An SDS Rotary hammer, on the other hand, operates like a hammer drill and provides hammering motion directly in line with the bit, perpendicular to the axis of rotation. While this hammering motion might shake out a little rust on the surface of the nut/bolt, all that impact energy is essentially being wasted on hammering a nut in a direction it wasn’t designed to move.

2. SDS rotary hammers have clutches. One of the great things about the modern SDS rotary hammer is that it contains a torque-limiting clutch that prevents your arm being wrenched by the tool in the event of a bit seizure (eg. hitting rebar in concrete drilling). While this feature is a blessing in the area of heavy drilling, it’s a big shortcoming in the fastener removal application, where maximum rotational torque is the name of the game.

That said, the main reason why these adapters actually exist is that they can be used to make an affordable stake/grounding rod driver. Combine the adapters with impact sockets, set the SDS to hammer-only mode, and you have a magnificent stake driver. While dedicated SDS grounding rod driver bits exist, the adapter/socket method is scalable to different sizes (different sockets), much cheaper, and just as effective.

What’s more, I’ve figured out that with one of these adapters, a 10/11mm socket, and a bit of duct tape you now have an SDS-to-Air hammer bit adapter. Air hammers play an important role in many mechanic shops, and with this adapter setup you’ve opened up any SDS hammer with hammer only function to the wide world of functions served by an air hammer. I’ve actually used a panel smoothing bit in my SDS, and it worked rather well.

If you have an expendable (hello Harbor Freight!) socket or two, you don’t even need to put in an air hammer bit to just use the socket adapter combo for beating loose any rusty parts you would normally take an air hammer to. Given the impact energy of most modern SDS hammers, there’s a chance the SDS might actually hit harder than an air hammer.

Another interesting advantage here is that an SDS has no need for an air system, so it can go places the air hammer can’t (especially if you have a cordless unit). The only real drawback is that an SDS is a lot bulkier and less maneuverable than a standard air hammer, so forget about using it in tight quarters.

Yeah, I thought by buying these a few years ago that I could turn two tools into one. Nope. Even a big rotary hammer can’t drive, say, a lag bolt into a piece of treated lumber. The torque is all wrong.

Dedicated impact wrenches are a different tool for a different purpose. I still haven’t figured out an actual use for these adapters, they just sit in the box.

I sacrificed a ¼” SDS bit for the shank and through a spot weld inside with an 11/16 deep impact socket to make my own ground rod driver a few months ago. Drove many a ground rod with that and my 20v brushless rotohammer in hammer only. Not too slow, not the fastest, but effective and infinitely easier than balancing the corded Hilti on top of a ladder

Why impact wrench isn’t capable of loosening lug nuts? My 3/8″ Milwaukee Fuel can do it with ease. Maybe the problem is over torquing, you should consult your manual for torque specs, most of the time it’s 85-95 ft/lbs. A decent impact DRIVER should be enough to torque them down and break them most of the time.

TO be fair to the OP. I once bought a car that had new tires put on when I got it – few months later time to do some mod work (new brakes and line) go to take off the wheels and lots of noise later – lug nut never moved.

That’s using a Dewalt corded impact wrench rated for some 340ft lbs. To that end I took it to a shop I like. First impact wrench some IR model – made alot of noise – didn’t take it off either. Second try some snap on giant merf – bang bang bang bang wizz. repeat 16 times. Of the 20, some 16 were on so tight they were well beyond 300 ft lbs.

spec was for 125 – on AL wheels. I was perturbed to say the least. new brake rotors later I still worry about those wheels. All the lugs had to be replaced.

Seems to me that dude needs a better impact wrench & a bigger compressor or a can of penetrating oil & some balls. A rotary hammer is meant to drive through & hammer simultaneously with torque. They’re not meant for fastening. To loosen a frozen or rusted nut or bolt penetrating oil & a wrench. If that don’t work heat it with a torch till its glowing & wrench it. If that doesn’t work weld a nut to it & wrench it. A good cheater or breaker helps also. An impact driver might work, but be careful that it doesn’t snap off the stud. If that happens, you’re beeped. They make torque wrenches & mechanics tools for a reason. Drills/ impact drivers & especially rotary hammers shouldn’t be used on automotive nuts & bolts. Too much torque and too easy to snap off a bolt head or wheel stud etc.